What is the greenhouse effect, and is it affecting our climate?
The greenhouse effect is unquestionably real and helps to regulate the temperature of our planet. It is essential for life on Earth and is one of Earth’s natural processes. It is the result of heat absorption by certain gases in the atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they effectively ‘trap’ heat in the lower atmosphere) and re-radiation downward of some of that heat. Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide and other trace gases. Without a natural greenhouse effect, the temperature of the Earth would be about zero degrees F (-18°C) instead of its present 57°F (14°C). So, the concern is not with the fact that we have a greenhouse effect, but whether human activities are leading to an enhancement of the greenhouse effect.
The greenhouse effect is unquestionably real and helps to regulate the temperature of our planet. It is essential for life on Earth and is one of Earth’s natural processes. It is the result of heat absorption by certain gases in the atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they effectively ‘trap’ heat in the lower atmosphere) and re-radiation downward of some of that heat. Water vapor is the most abundant greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide and other trace gases. Without a natural greenhouse effect, the temperature of the Earth would be about zero degrees F (-18°C) instead of its present 57°F (14°C). So, the concern is not with the fact that we have a greenhouse effect, but whether human activities are leading to an enhancement of the greenhouse effect by the emission of greenhouse gases through fossil fuel combustion and deforestation.
A. The greenhouse effect is unquestionably real, and is, in fact, essential for life on Earth. It is the result of heat absorption by certain gases in the atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they absorb radiation) and emission downward (thus exerting a “trapping” influence). Water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas, followed by carbon dioxide and other trace gases. Without the greenhouse effect, the temperature of the Earth would be about zero degrees F (-18°C) instead of its present 57°F (14°C). Q. Are greenhouse gases increasing? A. Human activity has been increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide from combustion of coal, oil, and gas; plus a few other trace gases). There is no scientific debate on this point. At rates of increase observed over the past few decades, the concentration of carbon dioxide will be double that of pre-industrial levels by about 2050. Q. Is the climate warming? A. Global surface temperatures hav
it affects our climate quite a bit. without any greenhouse effect, most — maybe all — the planet would be below freezing. the question you mean to ask is, “is our climate changing, and is that change related to our activities?” and the answer is, “it’s getting warmer, mostly because of the CO2 we’ve put into the atmosphere.” here’s what the science says — not what i or some troll claims. NAS, NOAA, NSF, NASA, EPA, MIT, UCLA all agree. AGW (Anthropogenic Global Warming) is a serious problem. http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer “May 19, 2008: The National Academies have released the 2008 edition of “Understanding and Responding to Climate Change,” a free booklet designed to give the public a comprehensive and easy-to-read analysis of findings and recommendations from our reports on climate change.” http://dels.nas.edu/del
The greenhouse effect is unquestionably real and helps to regulate the temperature of our planet. It is essential for life on Earth and is one of Earth’s natural processes. It is the result of heat absorption by certain gases in the atmosphere (called greenhouse gases because they effectively ‘trap’ heat in the lower atmosphere) and re-radiation downward of some of that heat.
